30 Luger (7.65mm Parabellum)
Called the 7.65mm Parabellum in most European
countries, the 30 Luger was introduced in 1900 by the German firm DWM as
the first cartridge the new Luger semiautomatic pistol was chambered for.
Of bottleneck design, the 30 Luger is probably best described as a
shortened version of the slightly older .30 Borchardt, a pistol that evidently
proved inspirational to Georg Luger while he was developing a firearm that
would eventually go on to become famous among friend and foe alike.
Due to the large number of handguns once manufactured in this chambering,
.30 Luger ammunition is still available to U.S. shooters from Remington and
Winchester, and to European shooters from Sako, Lapua, GECO, Fiocchi. Both
American firms list a 93 grain full metal jacket bullet at a muzzle velocity
of 1220 fps. Muzzle energy is listed as 305 foot pounds, virtually the same
as the 9mm Parabellum loaded with a 115 grain bullet.
Nominal bullet diameter for the .30 Luger is .3095 inch. Although the more
standard .308 bullet is said to be accurate enough in most guns, finding
one of the correct weight represents quite a challenge for the handloader.
Some shooters report great success with the Speer 100 grain Plinker, but
feeding is often a problem due to its soft nose. Perhaps the best handloading
solution would be to use 90 to 95 grain hard cast roundnose bullets with
diameters of .309 to .310 inch.
Source: Hodgdon Data Manual, 26th Edition
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